2020 Signing Day: Evaluating Jim Harbaugh's Recruiting Hits & Misses
Five That Lived Up To Their Ranking
OG Ben Bredeson, No. 39 nationally, 2016: Sometimes a bio speaks for itself and Bredeson's ... four-year starter (46 starts) at left guard and a three-time all-conference selection, including first-team honors in 2019, does just that.
C Cesar Ruiz, No. 47, 2017: Started five games at right guard as a true freshman and then the past 26 as U-M's center, distinguishing himself as one of the best OCs in college football by the end of his junior year.
CB David Long, No. 65, 2016: Third-round NFL Draft pick, was a first-team All-Big Ten performer as a junior in 2018 after he posted the best passer rating against in college football (meaning QBs had the least success against Long than against any cornerback in the country).
CB Ambry Thomas, No. 90, 2017: Surprised everyone by starting the 2019 season opener after missing much of the summer with an illness that caused him to lose 20 pounds. By mid-season he had overtaken Lavert Hill as the best cornerback on the team and he enters 2020 a legit Thorpe Award contender (nation's top DB).
DE Aidan Hutchinson, No. 112, 2018: In just his first season as a starter, Hutchinson made 18.5 "impact" plays as a sophomore - 10.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles (including 4.5 sacks). It's unlikely he'll be around for four years so the hype for his junior campaign is high.
*All rankings used from 247Sports.com composite.
Five That Overachieved
LB Devin Bush, No. 312, 2016: Goes down as one of the best linebackers in school history after establishing himself as a chaos maker (10.0 career sacks, 18.5 TFL in three seasons) and just a sound all-around LB with elite speed that was always in the right place at the right time.
RB Karan Higdon, No. 484, 2015: In 2018, he became Michigan's first running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since 2011, finishing with 1,178, while he averaged 5.6 yards per carry and scored 21 TDs over his final two years.
DE Kwity Paye, No. 487, 2017: After a junior season in which he recorded 6.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, Paye is on the cusp of breaking into the Top 15 at Michigan all time in sacks (he needs 5.5 quarterback takedowns to get to 15) and Top 20 for tackles for loss (he needs 13.5).
LB Josh Uche, No. 707, 2016: Uche became just the fourth player in school history to have two seasons of seven or more sacks when he tallied seven as a junior and 7.5 last year as a senior.
OL Jon Runyan Jr., NR, 2015: Largely ignored by the recruiting services, Runyan started 26 games at offensive tackle and was twice named All-Big Ten first team by the league's coaches.
Five That Disappointed
WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, No. 12, 2017: The talent remains undeniable, but he leaves Michigan after three seasons in which he totaled 103 catches (24th all time at U-M) and with 1,327 receiving yards, 29th all time among Wolverines. Though not entirely his fault - he's culpable too - Peoples-Jones never had five-star numbers.
QB Brandon Peters, No. 61, 2016: The first Top 100 quarterback Harbaugh signed, Peters was supposed to be Michigan's cornerstone signal-caller. Instead, he transferred after the 2018 season following a career in which he completed only 58 of 110 passes (52.7%) for 680 yards with four TDs and three interceptions.
DT Aubrey Solomon, No. 23, 2017: In a long line of Georgia recruits the Wolverines signed and got nothing from (CB Myles Sims, RB Kurt Taylor, LB Elysee Mbem-Bosse and potentially RB Christian Turner), Solomon was the most disappointing. He played two years at Michigan, recording just two TFL, before transferring to Tennessee.
RB Kareem Walker, No. 107, 2016: A coveted ball carrier originally committed to Ohio State before switching his pledge, Walker was supposed to be the back that helped lead U-M to success against the Buckeyes. Instead, he rushed for 68 yards on 20 carries before leaving school.
CB Myles Sims, No. 170, 2018: The second verbal commitment in the Class of 2018, Sims rallied future teammates to join him in Ann Arbor and was supposed to bring the type of athleticism and high-end ball skills to counter OSU's elite class of wide receivers. But he never played in a game for Michigan before transferring to Georgia Tech.
Best Class - 2018
Michigan's 2016 (No. 8 nationally) and 2017 classes (No. 5) were higher rated, but consider that among the 24 signees in 2016, 12 transferred before completing their eligibility, and the 2017 class has seen 14 of its 30 enrollees transfer already.
The 20-member 2018 class, on the other hand, has stayed largely intact - with just two departures - and has been responsible for six starters already, with the potential for five more next season: QB Joe Milton, LT Ryan Hayes, CB Vincent Gray, Viper Michael Barrett and TE Luke Schoonmaker.
Among those that are already starting for the Wolverines, DE Aidan Hutchinson, LB Cam McGrone, RT Jalen Mayfield and WR Ronnie Bell are likely all-conference first-team selections in 2020. In other words, the 2018 class offers both star power and significant contribution. To bat better than 50.0 percent (55.0) on starters in a class is a success rate not often achieved.
Best Position Groups In A Single Class
OL 2016 - Ben Bredeson, Michael Onwenu: They combined for 81 starts at the guard positions, Bredeson starting four seasons at LG and Onwenu three years at RG.
CB 2016 - David Long, Lavert Hill: Two of the most difficult cornerbacks in college football to throw on, they started 26 games across from each other in 2017-18, and Hill stuck around for one more season in 2019.
WR 2019 - Giles Jackson, Mike Sainristil, Cornelius Johnson: Is it too early to say that trio will surpass the production of the 2017 receiver class? Jackson looks like a special talent that could go all Rondale Moore on the Big Ten in 2020 while Sainristil and Johnson should both get about 30-40 targets next season, and more in future campaigns.
DE 2016 - Rashan Gary, Josh Uche: Though the lower-ranked Uche ended up outperforming No. 1 ranked Gary, combined they had 25 sacks and 42.5 tackles for loss during their time in Ann Arbor.
OL 2018 - Jale Mayfield, Ryan Hayes: Mayfield started 13 games in 2019 and is a future All-American offensive tackle while Hayes should take over the full-time starting role at left tackle in 2020, as the two are poised to be Michigan's OL bookends for the next 2-3 seasons.
TE 2016 - Sean McKeon, Nick Eubanks: The undercard, McKeon contributed earlier than Eubanks with 31 grabs as a true sophomore while finishing with 60 receptions for 668 yards and six TDs in his career. Eubanks has added 35 receptions for 461 yards and five touchdowns, and still has one year left.
Most Overrated Position Group In A Single Class
WR 2017 - Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins, Oliver Martin, Tarik Black: All four receivers were Top 200 recruits but with the exception of Collins, who has a chance to fill out the stat sheet in 2020 like he's always been capable of, they all left Michigan without making the impact expected, Martin transferring to Iowa after the 2018 season, Black after 2019 and DPJ headed to the pros.
Combined, these four have 232 receptions, 3,347 yards and 30 TDs. Braylon Edwards did better than that alone during his career at Michigan.
LB 2017 - Jordan Anthony, Drew Singleton, Josh Ross: Singleton and Anthony were Top 100 recruits, Ross was in the Top 250, and with their combination of speed and athleticism, were projected to maintain the level of skill introduced by Bush.
Combined, they started four games and tallied 91 tackles at Michigan going into what should be their senior seasons. Singleton transferred to Rutgers after one year, Anthony left late in the 2019 campaign and Ross missed most of the past campaign with an injury (though is positioned to start in 2020).
